Unit intelligence profile

Black Sea Fleet

Subordinates: 5
Locations: 25

Profile summary

Intelligence briefRF forces

HQ: Crimea, Sevastopol, Commander: Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov

Assessment

Identity

This location corresponds to the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, centered on Sevastopol, Crimea. Open-source reporting consistently identifies Sevastopol as the fleet’s main base and publicly references the Black Sea Fleet headquarters there. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/fcab4c6f0bd3738b34f9032cbef0833f?utm_source=openai))

Command

The supplied commander field is outdated. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on 2 April 2024 that Vice Admiral Sergey Pinchuk was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet, and Russian state media reported on 21 February 2025 that Pinchuk was promoted to admiral while identified as fleet commander; Viktor Sokolov is confirmed in Russian reporting as the fleet commander in 2022-2023, but later open sources point to Pinchuk. ([tass.com](https://tass.com/defense/1769271?utm_source=openai))

Basing

Through at least July-September 2024, U.S. government reporting citing DIA said Crimea still hosted the Black Sea Fleet along with command-and-control centers, drydocks, and arms depots, but the fleet continued shifting warships from Sevastopol and Feodosiia to Novorossiysk and other smaller Russian ports. ISW, citing UK Ministry of Defence reporting from 18 April 2024, assessed that Novorossiysk’s maintenance, logistics, and weapons-handling infrastructure had been improved to support the redeployed fleet on a long-term basis. ([oig.usaid.gov](https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/OAR_Q4_Final.pdf))

Damage

The Sevastopol headquarters and associated naval infrastructure have been repeatedly struck during the war. Russian authorities reported drone attacks on the Black Sea Fleet HQ on 31 July 2022 and 20 August 2022, while AP reported a major Ukrainian missile strike on the headquarters on 22 September 2023 and a separate 13 September 2023 strike on Sevastopol shipyard that damaged two ships under repair. ([tass.com](https://tass.com/defense/1487001?utm_source=openai))

Operational posture

By Q3 2024, the DIA assessment in the U.S. Operation Atlantic Resolve report said the Black Sea Fleet remained unable to conduct amphibious assaults and close-range strikes, and that its primary wartime role had become launching Kalibr cruise missiles against Ukrainian targets. The same report said the eastward shift had not removed that missile threat because ships and submarines still remained within range, and UK government reporting on 11 September 2023 publicly linked a Black Sea Fleet missile carrier to an attempted strike on a civilian cargo ship near Odesa. ([oig.usaid.gov](https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/OAR_Q4_Final.pdf))

Command structure

Subordinate formations

Crimean Naval Base

197th Landing Ship Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 72136, (Project 1171 Tapir landing ship: Orsk 148, Nikolay Filchenkov 152), (Project 775 landing ship: Caesar Kunikov 158, Novocherkassk 142, Yamal 156, Azov 151)

197th Landing Ship Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 72136, (Project 1171 Tapir landing ship: Orsk 148, Nikolay Filchenkov 152), (Project 775 landing ship: Caesar Kunikov 158, Novocherkassk 142, Yamal 156, Azov 151)

102nd PDSS Counteraction Special Purpose Detachment

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 27203

Novorossiysk Naval Base

4th Separate Submarine Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 95200, (Project 877 Paltus diesel submarine: B-871 Alrosa), (Project 636.3 Varshavyanka diesel submarine: B-261 Novorossiysk, B-237 Rostov-na-Donu, B-265 Krasnodar, B-268 Velikiy Novgorod, B-271 Kolpino)

4th Separate Submarine Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

136th PDSS Counteraction Special Purpose Detachment

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 75976

1066th Technical Service Center

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 06992

314th Rescue Ship Detachment

Coastal Troops of the Black Sea Fleet

810th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 13140, (BTR-82A, BMP-2, 2S1 Gvozdika, 9K35 Strela-10)

810th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 13140, (BTR-82A, BMP-2, 2S1 Gvozdika, 9K35 Strela-10)

11th Coastal Missile-Artillery Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 00916, (3K60 Bal-E, K300P Bastion-P)

15th Separate Coastal Missile-Artillery Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 80365, (K-300P Bastion-P, 3K60 Bal-E)

15th Separate Coastal Missile-Artillery Brigade

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 80365, (K-300P Bastion-P, 3K60 Bal-E)

388th Naval Reconnaissance Point

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 43071

68th Separate Naval Engineer Regiment

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 86863

744th Communications Center HQ

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 40136

744th Communications Center

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 40136

744th Communications Center

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 40136

744th Communications Center

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 40136

475th Separate EW Center

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 60135, (Murmansk-BN, R-330Zh Zhitel, R-934BMV, RB-531B Infauna, 1RL257 Krasukha-4, Leer 3)

17th Arsenal

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 13189

Naval Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet

318th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 49311, (4x Mil Mi-8, 8x Antonov An-26, 14x Kamov Ka-27, 5x Beriev Be-12)

43rd Naval Assault Aviation Regiment

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 76410, (9x Sukhoi Su-30SM, 3x Sukhoi Su-24M, 6x Sukhoi Su-24MR, 1x Tupolev Tu-134),

At least 4 Su-30SM and 6 Su-24M/MR were destroyed or damaged as a result of a Ukrainian attack on Saki Air Base on August 9, 2022. The regiment essentially ceased to exist as a combat unit.

1229th Black Sea Fleet Intelligence Center (GRU)

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 53189

3rd Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment GRU

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 34258 (53189)

519th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 53189, (Project 864 Meridian medium intelligence ship: Pryazovye, Project 18280 medium intelligence ship Yuriy Ivanov: Ivan Khurs, Project 861M medium intelligence ship: Ekvator, Kildin)

Geospatial index

Known places

30th Surface Ship Division

Intelligence briefRF forces

military unit 10790, (Project 1135 Burevestnik frigate: Ladny 861, Pytlivyy 868), (11356R Burevestnik frigate: Admiral Grigorovich 494, Admiral Essen 490, Admiral Makarov 499)

Identity

Command

Basing

Damage

Operational posture

Subordinate formations

Crimean Naval Base

197th Landing Ship Brigade

197th Landing Ship Brigade

102nd PDSS Counteraction Special Purpose Detachment

Novorossiysk Naval Base

4th Separate Submarine Brigade

4th Separate Submarine Brigade

136th PDSS Counteraction Special Purpose Detachment

1066th Technical Service Center

314th Rescue Ship Detachment

Coastal Troops of the Black Sea Fleet

810th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

810th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

11th Coastal Missile-Artillery Brigade

15th Separate Coastal Missile-Artillery Brigade

15th Separate Coastal Missile-Artillery Brigade

388th Naval Reconnaissance Point

68th Separate Naval Engineer Regiment

744th Communications Center HQ

744th Communications Center

744th Communications Center

744th Communications Center

475th Separate EW Center

17th Arsenal

Naval Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet

318th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment

43rd Naval Assault Aviation Regiment

1229th Black Sea Fleet Intelligence Center (GRU)

3rd Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment GRU

519th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron

Known places

30th Surface Ship Division

Diving School of the Black Sea Fleet

Radio Intelligence Training Center of the Black Sea Fleet

1st Rescue Vessel Group

2nd Rescue Vessel Group

47th Hydrographic Region

58th Support Vessel Group

61st Supply Vessel Detachment

63rd Under-Repair Ship Brigade

80th Hydrographic Region

55th Separate Hydrographic Vessel Division of the 80th Hydrographic Region

97th Separate Surface Ship Squadron

115th Protection and Service Commandant's Office

145th Rescue Team

176th Hydrographic Vessel Division

720th Material-​Technical Support Point of the Russian Navy

1st Group of the 205th Supply Vessel Detachment

2nd Group of the 205th Supply Vessel Detachment

3rd Group of the 205th Supply Vessel Detachment

4th Group of the 205th Supply Vessel Detachment

Protected Command Post of the Black Sea Fleet

Special Receiving Radio Center of the Black Sea Fleet (?)

Information and Computing Center of the Black Sea Fleet (?)

Logistics Base of the Black Sea Fleet

Black Sea Fleet HQ

720th Material-Technical Support Point of the Russian Navy